Moment of reckoning as KNRC finale revs off in Voi

One year and three months have now passed since Karan Patel won his first Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) round in Voi. 

But the Nairobi-based speedster now aims to win his maiden KNRC title in the season-closing Guru Nanak Rally which starts at Voi Wildlife Lodge and finish at Teita Estates on Sunday.

“I have not really looked at the stages, but it is definitely not the same Voi that we did last year. So from what I have heard there are a lot of junctions and it is rough. 

My driving style is more suited for tight corners and tight races as opposed to fast open roads. If it is tight and twisty that is where I can prosper,” said Karan.

Karan has indicated that he is not going to alter his traditional flat-out approach which continues to endear him to rally fans across Africa. 

And having clinched six out of eight rounds ran so far, Karan is definitely going to throw absolute caution to the wind in order to take the much-needed victory -and most importantly- the coveted title away from series leader Jasmeet Chana.

Karan damaged his gearbox in the second last rally in Bamba and that lost them points and fell behind Jasmeet in the overall championship standings. 

As much as Karan is tipped to win the Voi finale, there is no denying a certain level of pressure will mount on the Ford Fiesta Rally 2 driver on his way up.

If Mitsubishi's Jasmeet finishes second and scores a point on the Power Stage, then it will be game over for Karan.

Jasmeet heads into the season-closing title decider nine points clear of his race adversary Karan, with 30 points to play for and an additional maximum of three at stake on the Power Stage. Jasmeet currently tops the KNRC log with 209 against Karan's 200.

And no matter what anyone might think, Karan is exuding confidence despite the intricate nature of his homestretch battle with Chana. 

"Voi is where we first won our first KNRC event and strategy is the same, to win the event and secure the championship," he says.

Karan reckons that his experience in the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) where he finished second behind Zambia’s Leroy Gomes is a good indication of where he is in terms of continental competition.

The driver feels that KNRC entries could be better. "We lost our top drivers like Baldev Chager and Carl Tundo who are on sabbatical and I don't know if they will come back for a proper race. In their absence it's been just myself and Jasmeet, though I have won most of the races," he opines. 

Jasmeet, on the other hand, has also laid down some clear targets and objectives as he heads into the decisive round.

He has indicated that he will remain positive and competitive, but candidly admits it is tighter after his lead was cut from 20 to nine points in the penultimate Machakos round.

Crews in Voi will tackle a competitive run totaling 159.17km; of which 70.91km will be liaison distance. Four stages will be repeated to make a competitive run of eight stages. 

The repeat run of the Charcoal Stage (21.30km) will serve as the Power Stage where the fastest three drivers will earn additional 3-2-1 points on the championship log.

 KNRC OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP 

 Drivers 

1 Jasmeet Chana 209

2 Karan Patel 200

3 Kush Patel 86

4 Leo Varese 82

5 Maxine Wahome 74

6 Steve Mwangi 60

7 Carl Tundo 59

8 Hamza Anwar 47

9 Jeremiah Wahome 41

10 Nikhil Sachania 40